DECEMBER 10th : THE 60th ANNIVERSARY, AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD

Sculpture in the home of our host, Photographer Anne de Henning

Student Tea Shop Window

Jeff Koons Exhibit in Versailles

December 10th, 2008 will be the actual 60th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under Eleanor Roosevelt’s thoughtful guidance this document was fashioned by the Drafting Commission consisting of 17 disparate members. As the driving force behind the Commission’s accomplishment, she brought together people of vastly different political systems, religious codes and cultural attitudes. After two years of intensive work by this Drafting Committee, with her exceptional leadership, the Declaration was passed without a single dissenting vote.

All the member nations of the UN, along with all the NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations, from civil society, of which we, the WCA, are one), endorse and support the Declaration of Human Rights. Obviously the Articles of the Declaration are aspirational in nature, but have proved to be an enduring goal. An important discussion at the recent conference arose around the RESPONSIBILITIES that go along with these rights. In fact, some folks believe there should be an amendment to the original articles that speaks to those responsibilities (although many questioned the possibility of consensus in that discussion, given the divisions in today’s world).

We, as an organization, have a wonderful opportunity in our Chapters to inform our membership about the Declaration and our international involvement. That involvement has already started to take shape in terms of a possible international panel of Artists presenting at the 2009 DPI-NGO Conference, as well as a collaboration with another NGO for an art show on Climate Change and the International Commission on Justice for Bhopal (ICJP), in the Fall of 2009. That show will coincide with the 350 Degree Conference and the 25th Anniversary of the world’s largest industrial disaster, Union Carbide’s infamous gas leak that killed thousands in Bhopal, India in 1983, which continues to claim victims, and has generated a response that has set the world’s standard for activism around corporate accountability. We expect to include an existing exhibition of art works specifically related to Bhopal, along with ‘Climate Change / ECO ART” by our national membership. There is currently a large internationally coordinated effort to bring a great deal of attention to the 25th Anniversary, so we expect it to be a high profile event linked to a huge publicity push.

Day Three: DPI/NGO Conference, UNESCO Paris

An Iranian NGO speaks out. He said it was the first time Iran has sent a delegate and there is much to share and learn

Ingrid Betancourt speaks to us via live telecast from the UN

The women's rights caucus was filled to capacity on day 3. It was great to hear women from many different countries voicing their opinions. The group decided to make a statement about sexual harrassment of female UN field workers at the afternoon closing session.The morning roundtable focused on Human Rights Education. Ingrid Srinath from World Alliance for Citizen Participation gave an example of how children in Rajastan used human rights principles to negotiate a proper education with their teacher. Tilder Kumichi of the Global Education and Environmental Developmental Foundation spoke of provoking grassroots level change by taking the knowledge from the classrooms to the streets. She talked about using social drama to translate human rights at the local levels.The closing session featured Ingrid Betancourt, who several months ago was freed from her captors in Colombia after 2,321 days. She thanked the French government and others for their assistance. She felt a great need to speak out about her experience and to remind us of those who are still held in captivity.It was a poignant ending to a thought-provoking conference.POSTED BY FROM PRISCILLA

Day Two: DPI/NGO Conference at UNESCO, Paris

Breakout session: "From Vulnerability Toward Empowerment"

Breakout session: "Human Rights, Sustainable Development and the Earth Charter"

La Mairie due Veme Arrondissement de Paris

Gustavo Germano talks about his show, "ausenc'as" (absences)

Helen and I arrived in the middle of the women's rights caucus. The room was pretty full on day two, and we broke up into discussion groups. The goal was to come up with a statement on discrimination from the women's perspective to report back to the general session. Unfortunately we ran out of time, but one member voiced a strong opinion on ageism.Day Two of the conference started with a roundtable session on Article 2 of the HR Declaration: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."Panelists Lita Anggraini, Eugen Brand and Dan Pescod spoke of their constituents - domestic workers, people with mental illness and the blind, respectively. Although human rights treaties have affirmed the principle of equality and non-discrimination, in reality discrimination continues in countries. These panelists spoke of actions they have taken, using human rights mechanisms to champion their causes.Helen's favorite breakout session was on the Earth Charter, a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society. All of the speakers on this panel were dynamic and impassioned. We were particularly impressed with Mary Evelyn Tucker, lecturer in religion and the environment at Yale University.At the end of the day, we attended an artist's reception at Salle des Fetes of the Mairie du Veme arrondissment. Another beautiful venue, it displayed the works of photographer Gustavo Germano. It documented the lives of people who lost their lives during the military dictatorship in Argentina from 1976 through 1983 through "before" and "after" family portraits.POSTED BY FROM PRISCILLA

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2008Paris Mayor's Reception at l"hotel de Ville

Apparently there were only 200 invitations available for the Paris Mayor's reception at l'Hotel de Ville. There was a mad scramble after this was announced but it was unclear where these invitations were. Luckily, Helen and I got the inside scoop from an organizer and we got our invites! The location was the sumptuous l'Hotel de Ville, or City Hall. After listening to words of welcome from the deputy mayors and Shamina, we were all invited to enjoy the wines and hors d'oeuvres. Although the reception was packed there was plenty of food and wine and it was wonderful meeting other NGOs. What a full, exhausting and satisfying first day! Posted by Priscilla.

Afternoon Roundtable on Upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Seventh Floor UNESCO Cafeteria with killer views of the Eiffel Tower

UNESCO Cafeteria - the best deal in town with great food at bargain prices!

A breakout panel titled "Women's Rights are Human Rights"

The sixty-first annual conference for non-governmental organizations (NGO) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) was held in Paris, France, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted sixty years ago. It is the first time the conference has taken place outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.Some interesting statistics at this conference:

1399 representatives from 537 different NGOs in 74 countries registered for this conference. Of those, Africa was represented by 183 delegates, Asia Pacific had 152 delegates, Easter Europe had 37 delegates, Latin America had 62 delegates, Middle East/Arab Nations had 47 delegates, North American/Caribbean had 493 delegates and Western Europe had 425 delegates. Indeed, we noticed an amazing diversity of people, both in attendees and in panelists!

The speakers in the opening session welcomed us to the conference and gave us an overview of the next three days. The primary message in this session was the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was readily adopted by many countries sixty years ago but the actual implementation of the articles has not been realized in any country. The exhortation by the panelists was for countries not to treat these articles as aspirational or to dilute their intention by relativism.

Helen and I had twenty minutes to rush upstairs to the UNESCO cafeteria to grab some lunch before the afternoon panels. We were delighted with the fresh selections offered and the unbelievable prices. Our lunches came to approximately 8 euros each! We sat with women from the International Federation of University Women and learned that every morning there was a Women's Rights Caucus that met for an hour before the sessions. They said very few attended on the first day, but that was probably because it was difficult to find out about it. The booklets and schedules for the conference were piled on a table on the side of the large, dark conference room and if you didn't ask someone, you probably would never have known to go and pick up the information.

After lunch, I attended a breakout session called "Women's Rights are Human Rights." Interestingly, several panelists were absent because they could not obtain visas in time. Joyce Oneko, one of the panelists, talked about AIDS education in Kenya. She started a successful forum for women to educate each other about AIDS, and stressed the need for more meetings places for women.

At the last session of the day, the panelists talked about Upholding the Universal Declaration. Among others, Nassera Dutour who represented the Collective of the Families of the Disappeared in Algeria gave an impassioned speech on behalf of her son and many others who have been forced to "disappear."

It was a long first day but now we had to rush to the subway station to go to our reception!POSTED BY FROM PRISCILLA

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2008Arriving in Paris

Art Center College of Design Poster

"Face Time," photographic exhibit by Patrick de Wilde, displayed outside the UNESCO building

"Sketching Human Rights" exhibit in Miro Salons 1, 2, 3

Miro Mural in UNESCO Miro Gallery

On September 2, Helen and I arrived in Paris and immediately went to UNESCO to register for the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference. Our bed and breakfast, run by a Parisian artist, was fairly close by, in the 16th Arrondissement. We made two subway changes that included a breath-taking view of the Eiffel Tower as we crossed the Seine. From our station it was a five-minute walk to UNESCO.

Security was fairly tight and I was glad we had brought our invitation letters and passports. Once inside, I was able to register without any problems but for some reason Helen's conference badge was missing. The good thing was that Helen's registration was in order, she would have to come back the next day to pick up her badge.

Exploring a bit, we noticed many large paintings and murals by famous artists, including Picasso and Miro. There were also several art exhibitions in conjunction with the conference. Outside the building was a solo show of portraits by photographer Patrick de Wilde called "Face Time." Inside, there were three shows on the theme of human rights. "Sketching Human Rights" was a collection of 69 cartoons illustrating the meaning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The cartoons were contributed by famous cartoonists in 30 different countries from all regions of the world. The Ribbons Exhibit was an exhibit of cloth panels representing artistic expressions about human rights. Measuring 36 x 18 inches, there are ties on the corners so they can be joined together. Symbolically, the ribbons show readiness to join together in supporting and protecting human rights for all. The Art Center College of Design Poster Exhibition featured 25 posters on human rights created by students of the Pasadena, California art school. POSTED BY FROM PRISCILLA

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008Reaffirming Human Rights

Two members of the WCA International Committee will be attending the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference at UNESCO in Paris, France. This year’s theme is “Reaffirming Human Rights: The Universal Declaration at 60.” The Declaration is the first universal statement on the basic principles of the human rights to which peoples of all nations are entitled. It has also set the common standard of achievement to which people all over the world should aspire. The Conference will take place from September 3-5 and will be opened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via video-conference. The aim of the Conference is to highlight effective ways in which civil society, in partnership with others, can contribute to the advancement of human rights at the international, regional, national and local levels.

WCA’s focus on arts activism dovetails well with this year’s conference theme. We will be blogging about the conference during our sojourn in Paris.POSTED BY FROM PRISCILLA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2008Sustaining Our Environment Show

A mosaic of postcards in the "Sustaining Our Environment" Postcard Show

Left, Right and below: Shots of the postcard exhibit in the Blue Room of the Janette Kennedy Gallery at Southside on Lamar. Center: WCA booth at the College Arts Association convention.

I just returned from Dallas where the 365 postcards received for "Sustaining Our Environment" was displayed in two venues: the WCA booth at the CAA Convention and at the Janette Kennedy Gallery. Both shows were a great success, visitors were amazed at the beauty and variety of submissions. The card auction raised $1,100 for the UN.

The remaining postcards will be preserved and will be displayed in future shows. I have received several inquiries towards another show, possibly in Washington, DC and/or Minneapolis.

If you wish to continue sending postcards made of recycled materials, please feel free to do so. I will continue to document them on this blogsite.

#1 "It's in the..." Collage Card
A collection of wild and wacky cards arrived from Patty Martini, NCWCA artist from San Francisco, CA. She told me the folks at the post office enjoyed mailing some these cards to me. The ones with the fake fur and buttons made them giggle. Indeed, if we are lucky, the person at the postal counter has a sense of humor and an appreciation for unsual mail!

"Splendoribus" Recycled inner lining of a Christmas card envelope received from the UK with small recycled/cut images from different Christmas cards. A piece of music scales from a Christmas Carol handout, with ancient music notes.
Two lovely cards arrived from artist J. Natasha Kostan of Los Angeles, CA. She is a member of the Southern California Women's Caucus for Art.

A Great American Pastime. A colorful double-sided card from WCA New Hampshire President, Debbie Skinner-Perez of Wilmot, NH. It is also a 3-D card madewith bank ads, acetate print of her father, tea tags and dividers, VFW stickers, paper cutter pack bubble, calender and slide.

Jennifer Colby

Jennifer Colby

Jennifer Colby

I was delighted to receive four wonderful postcards from Jennifer Colby, National WCA President. She resides in San Juan Bautista and is a co-owner of Galeria Tonantzin, which specializes in contemporary women's art. These cards incorporate painting and magazine images.

"Botswana, Africa." The original artwork was made with fossil salt pieces and photographed. On scrap of paper made from scraps themselves becoming a leftover scrap.
Nelleke Nix of Seattle, WCA sent these five wonderful cards made on lovely paper.

Our Lady of the Threads. I made this card from an old index card, rubber stamp picked up at a recycle shop, paint and cut threads from making many many plastic sleeves to display the postcards in this show.

Revere the Past, Respect the Future. A cheery collage card from WCA New Hampshire artist Gail Smuda of Concord, NH. Made with recycled images, paper and plastic disc.

A wonderful tactile card by Patricia Biesen of Chicago, IL. It is made with woven newspapers, acrylic paint, collage from old Medievil illustration book and PVA glue. The heart image is very appropriate so close to Valentines.

Three wonderful cards from Iris Brightwater of El Cerrito, CA. An overabundance of stamps received from a wildlife organization, reused holday cards and photos from various magazines on the back of the card.

A lovely collage card from writer, Kathy Cohn. Backing made with recycled box. Design made with recycled postcards and paint chips. Words are recycled newsprint. I love the juxtaposition of texture and image

Another fabulous card from artist Lisa K. Parsons of Portland, OR. She is a member of the Oregon WCA. The card smells wonderful! Photocopy of an artist's vision of a two-fold screen (Ukiyo-e). Artist unknown, 17th Century. Newspaper, purple foil from a candy wrapper, acrylic paint and herbal patchouli incense. Gold ribbon from a long-gone Christmas package.

#13"Untitled" by Derry Jameson of Philadelphia, PA. Drawing on cereal box with tape and scrap tracing paper. Moore Art College

#4 "A World of Packaging, The Whole World Packaged In" by Emma Moore of Annandale, VA. Ribbon, letters, sketchbook cover,oil pastels, chalk, marker, paper, white glue, magazines.
WCA Philadelphia artist Nicole Patrice Dul sent an envelope filled with beautiful postcards created by her students at Moore College of Art.

Vines. A lovely collage card by Mary Milelzcik of Venice, CA. From the trash: recycled envelope windows from junk mail and recycled paper with ivy.

"Natural Valley 01" Part of a granola bar box.

"Natural Valley 02" Granola box and magazine cutouts
Two cards from Cristina Velazquez of Portola Valley, CA. I love the negative tree shape that was cut out of "Naturla Valley 01."

Two wonderful sewn cards from Beverly Cottman of Minneapolis, MN. She writes, "Use paper grocery bags. Most contain at least some recycled paper, they are easily reused and can also be used for other things - ie, art-making. When asked "Paper or Plastic?" answer, "Paper please."

"The dangerous roads of energy in Greece and the Balkans." To protest the new oil and gas pipelines going through Greece and the Balkans, endangering the environment...2008. Recycled painted paper, sand collage, reused "green" card.